End door for delivery-wagons.



J. LEDWINKA.

END DOOR FOR DELIVERYWAGONS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22. 1912.

1 19A5&

Patented May 11, 1915.

STATES PATNT @FFliQ.

JOSEPH LEDWINKA, OF PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA.

END DOOR FOR DELIVERY-WAGONS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH LEDWINKA, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia, State ofPennsylvania, have made a certain new and useful invention in End Doorsfor Delivery-Wagons, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to end doors for delivery wagons.

The object of the invention is to provide a door for the rear end of adelivery wagon, or for other purposes, which is simple in construction,economical to manufacture, and strong and durable in use.

Other Objects of my invention will ap pear more fully hereinafter.

The invention consists substantially in the construction, combination,location and relative arrangement of parts, all as will be more fullyhereinafter set forth, as shown in the accompanying drawing, and finallypointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing :Figure 1 is a view in rear elevation of adoor constructed in accordance with my invention showing a'portion of avehicle to which the door is applied. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross sectionon the line 2, 2, Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows. Figs.3, 4, and 5, are enlarged broken detail views in section on the lines 3,3; 4, 4; and 5, 5, respectively.

The same part is designated by the same reference numeral wherever itoccurs in the several views. I

It is a common expedient to supply delivery and other wagons with hingedrear end doors, which are designed to swing down into substantiallyhorizontal position while the vehicle is being loaded and unloaded, andto swing into vertical position to close the rear end of the vehicle.Since the door is thus used as a loading and unloading platform of thevehicle, so to speak, it is subjected to very heavy and rough usage bydepositing thereon and moving thereover the packages, boxes, trunks, orother articles transported by the vehicle. This rough usage rapidlywears out, breaks, bends or otherwise injures the'door, and necessitatesa specially constructed door in order to withstand the wear. In securinga strong and durable door construction adapted to meet the rough usagereferred to, it is desirable to secure lightness in weight withoutsacrificing anything of strength and rigidity.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May ilil, 1915.

Application filed November 22, 1912. Serial No. 732,836.

It is among the special purposes and objects of my invention to producea door structure which fulfils these and other requirements, and incarrying out my invention Ipropose to construct the body of the door outof sheet metal, and to reinforce and strengthen the same by metallic boxchannel ribs at the edges and along the exterior transverse widththereof, and to employ rigid transverse bars on the exterior surfacethereof, the inner sheet metal .plates forming the face of the door whenrocked down into horizontal position to. form a loading or unloadingplatform being corrugated or fluted.

Referring to the accompanying drawing inwhich I have shown a doorstructure embodying my invention, reference sign 7, designates a portionof the rear or end framing of a delivery wagon or other vehicle to whichthe door is to be applied, said framing having a horizontal rod 8, orother suitable means to form a hinge for the door.

The door itself is formed of sheet steel plates 9, 10, 11, said sheets 9and 10, being placed fiatwise against and suitably secured to each otherby welding, riveting or otherwise, while the sheet or plate 11, whichshown at 14, Fig. 2. Similarly, and for a similar purpose the side edgesof the intermediate sheet or plate 10, are bent to form the boX channelribs 15, 16, between the lips of which are received the correspondingedges of the plates or sheet 9, as most clearly shown at 17, Fig. 4.Thejoints between the edges of plates 9, 10, and the channel ribs inwhich they are respectively received are welded or otherwise suitablysecured.

In order to strengthen the body of the door between its edges I applytransversely thereacross channel ribs 18, having lateral flanges 19 forapplication fiatwise against the outer surface of the outermost plate 9of the door body, and suitably secured thereto by rivets 20, orotherwise, as may be desired.

It will be observed that the channel ribs 12, 13, 15, 16 and 18, extendor project outwardly from the door when the latter is raised to itsvertical or closed position, and hence takes the brunt of impact in casethe vehicle or wagon is backed against a post or other obstacleytherebypreventing in ury to the door body by reason of such impact while at thesame time said ribs secure great strength and rigidity to the doorstructure.

The door is provided with hinge connections 21, to the pivot rod or axis8. In the form shown these hinge connections are offset portions at thelower ends of bars 22, which extend transversely across the body of thedoor and are riveted or otherwise s'ecured to the plates 9, 10, asshown. In practice I prefer to arrange the hinge bars 22 inside thechannels of ribs 18. These bars are thus securely attached to the bodyof the door and aid in rendering the same stronger and more rigid anddurable than they otherwise would be.

If desired the door may be provided with a lifting bar 23, at itsupperor free'edge. This bar may be secured to the door in. any suitable orconvenient manner. I have shown a simple and eflicient arrangementwherein said rod is carried in arms 24, which .extend down into theupper ends of the channels of ribs 18, and are riveted or otherwisesecured to the bars 22, and plates 9, 10, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4..Links 25, may also be mounted on the ends of rod 23, by means of which,through chains or other means, the outer edge of the door may besupported when let down into horizontal position.

If desired, and in order to lock the'door when in its vertical or closedposition, the door is provided with looking bolts 26, at its uppercorners designed to snap into keepers 27,,oarried by thewagon frame 7.The bolts are shown as of ordinary form with springs 28, normallytending to press the'same outwardly and handles or knobs 29, by whichsaid bolts may be withdrawn. The bolt is carried in a casing 30, whichis secured within the channel of rib 12, the handle or knob 29, workingthrough a slot or opening in said channel rib.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I provide anexceedingly strong well adapted to withstand the rough usage to whichsuch doors are subjected.

Having now set forththe object and na ture of my invention and aconstruction em: bodying the principles thereof, what I claim as new anduseful and of my own invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentis 1. An enddoor for delivery wagons, comprising sheet metal platesassembled flatwise the one upon the other and secured together, theplate forming the upper horizontal wearing surface of the door when inposition for delivery purposes being corru-' gated.

2. An enddoor for delivery wagons com prising sheet metal platesassembled flatwise the one upon the other and secured together, one ofsaid plates having its edges bent into closed channel shape, thecorresponding edges of the other plate being received between the lipsof the channel and integrally secured thereto.

3. An end door for delivery wagons comprising sheet metal platesassembled flatwise the one upon the other and secured together, andchannel shaped strengthening members laterally flanged at their edgesand applied in transverse relation across the door, to the outer plateand secured thereto.

4. An end door for delivery wagons com-' prising sheet metal platesassembled flatwise the one'u'pon the other and secured together,

channel shaped strengthening members laterally flanged at their edgesand applied in transverse relation across the door to the outer plateand secured thereto and bars located within said channels and secured tothe door plates, the ends of said bars extending beyond the ends of thechannels, to

form hinge connections for the door.

5. A door composed of a sheet metal body having channel ribs extendingtransversely thereacross,arms extending into the channels of said ribsand secured, to the door body, and a lifting rod carried by said arms.

In, testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of thesubscribing witnesses, on this 29th day of October, A. D.

JOSEPH LEDWINKA. Witnesses: ALLEN M. STEARNE,

B. L. DIEHL.

